Prince William and Kate Middleton to star-struck Quebec: 'À bientôt'

Anne Sutherland, The Gazette12.16.2011

Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, wave farewell to Quebec as they board a military jet at Jean Lesage Airport. The royals are bound for Charlottetown after their whirlwind tour of Montreal and Quebec City.John Kenney
/ The Gazette

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, greets the crowd at the Citadelle in Lévis on Sunday.Dario Ayala
/ The Gazette

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, greets enthusiastic spectators at the Citadelle in Lévis on Sunday.Dario Ayala
/ The Gazette

Protestors and supporters gathered outside Montreal's Hotel and Tourism Institute where Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, were visiting , in Montreal Saturday July 2, 2011. The 42 room training hotel was founded in 1968. Canada is the first stop on the first international tour by the Royal couple.(Vincenzo D'Alto / THE GAZETTE)

Britain's Prince William delivers a speech during a ceremony at Quebec city hall on the fourth day of a nine-day tour of Canada with his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, on July 3, 2011.(ROGERIO BARBOSA/AFP/Getty Images)

Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attend a ceremony at City Hall in Quebec City on the fourth day of their nine-day tour of Canada on July 3, 2011.(TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Prince William reviews the troops during a ceremony at City Hall in Quebec City on the fourth day of a nine-day tour of Canada with his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, on July 3, 2011.(ROGERIO BARBOSA/AFP/Getty Images)

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, shakes hands during a tour of the Maison Dauphine with her husband Britain's Prince William in Quebec City on July 3, 2011. Prince William and his wife Catherine are on a royal tour of Canada from June 30 to July 8.AFP PHOTO/Mathieu Belanger

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, accepts flowers from a young girl outside city hall in Quebec City on Sunday.Jacques Boissinot
/ AFP via Getty Images

Related

QUEBEC CITY - The citizens of Quebec got what Montreal did not: full unfettered contact and sightlines of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their royal tour.

And they were treated to a speech by the eventual heir to the throne "tout en français," praising the "beauty" and "vitality" of Quebec and vowing to return.

Whether organizers in the capital did a better job, the police were more prepared or the secure location of the places the royals went to were the factors that counted is all debatable.

In the end, all that mattered was protesters were kept out of sight and in most cases out of earshot of the dignitaries and there was no threat of violence to William and Kate.

Quite a difference from the bum's rush the couple were given the day before in Montreal, where one photographer was certain she saw eggs lobbed at the royal convoy on the way to Ste. Justine Hospital and security became tight as a drum.

As a result of the safe and convivial atmosphere in Quebec, the attractive young couple went right up to the barricades to shake hands, take photos and speak to the star-struck crowds who whooped their approval and in some cases were still shaking minutes after their Cambridge connection.

“He said, ‘You better get down before you hurt yourself,” said Hannah Hoelscher of Rutland, Vt. She was standing on the lower rung of the metal crowd-containment barricades when William, much to her shock, came her way, surrounded by bodyguards.

“He asked where I was from and whether I drove all this way to see them, and I said of course. And then the big shocker was Kate who came by, too,” said the young American, whose hands were visibly shaking.

“This is a young and fun couple who really seem to care about everyone.”

An outdoor event at city hall at noon threatened with both bad weather and the promise of an ugly confrontation with members of an anti-monarchy group. But the deluge stopped in time and the 200 anti-monarchy protesters were kept more than a block away from the actual ceremony.

Their air horns and bagpipes were more than drowned out by the police escort that brought the convoy to the steps of city hall, where the Royals were met by Jean Charest and the mayor of Quebec City, Régis Labeaume.

Charest got huge cheers, but those were outdone when William and then Kate left the limo decorated with their specially designed insignia.

After walking up to the steps of city hall, William reviewed the assembled 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment in their red dress uniforms and with their goat mascot in tow.

Labeaume made a comment that the thousand people assembled were there for Charest and the premiere gamely laughed.

Then William addressed the crowd without a word of English, no mistakes and only a slight accent.

“À bientôt,” were his final words.

The royals were at city hall to celebrate the 403rd birthday of Quebec and The Freedom of the City ceremony that dates back to 1748, at a time when fortified or walled cities only permitted entry to armies who they knew to be friendly.

This ceremony permitted a friendly troupe with weapons and drums entry to the inside. The permission to come in was an honour but a necessity, as many armies at the time were no more than marauding gangs with little discipline.

The 22nd Regiment, known as the Van Doos (a corruption of vingt-deux), has its headquarters in the Citadelle and its regional headquarters in Quebec City.

asutherland@montrealgazette.com

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.